Ken and Erica's Wedding
Anderson Valley
Tasted Sunday, April 26, 2009 by David Paris with 1,924 views
Introduction
Natasha and I drove down to Mendocino for Ken and Erica's wedding (which I was officiating!). The day after the wedding the four of us went wine tasting in the Anderson Valley, which I was previously not too familiar with. For some reason I was under the belief that since it was only 20-30 miles (line of sight) from the ocean, it would be a "cool climate," more similar to what we have here in Oregon. Thus, I was quite excited about it... turns out 100 degree temps aren't uncommon in the Anderson Valley, and I saw irrigation systems at all the vineyards. None of the wines were really to my liking, but I'm certainly glad for the experience, and it was a wonderful weekend overall, including the these tastings on Sunday... even if the wines weren't up to snuff, the company was. One nice thing was of the 5 places we visited, only one was charging a tasting fee, and it was very reasonable at $5. I appreciate the fee gesture... just wish there was a wine that excited me enough to purchase it.
Flight 1 - Handley Cellars (16 Notes)
I've had Handley wines in the past and have always enjoyed what I've had, so this was a no-brainer. A fairly nice tasting room and scene, with knowledgeable, friendly folks behind the counter. Certainly a recommendable spot. This was the first hint that this wasn't as cool a climate as I first thought... all the wines, including the whites, were above 14% alcohol, with harvested brix above 25. Lots of wines to tastes here, though, and they'll let you have as many as you like.
Flight 2 - Brutocao Cellars (11 Notes)
Not quite as friendly behind the counter... but a nice spot, still. The Primitivo and Zin Port were the best of the bunch.
Flight 3 - Navarro Vineyards (11 Notes)
One of the oldest vineyards in this area, I gather. A really nice tasting room with a beautiful deck with nice trellises overlooking the vineyard. The vineyard was full of sheep grazing throughout. Kind of odd, but neat. They had some good food stuffs that we bought and ate on the deck. A very enjoyable, relaxing spot. My notes may be a bit skewed though because the pours here were ridiculously small. It was very hard to get any read what so ever on these wines with the amount they were giving us... really just a few drops, not even one swallow. My usual drink for tasting is about three times what they even gave us. Kind of hard to evaluate a wine based upon that. 
Flight 5 - Toulouse Vineyards (5 Notes)
Another nice spot, down a gravel road. We were greeted by two green Amazon parrots as we walked to the tasting room. I wish I had a picture of it, but they were threatening Ken and Erica's dog, Beans, through their cage, and Beans was quite scared of them. Normally she's the one chasing birds around, but these birds were the aggressor which confused her! The folks here were very very friendly, and the tasting room itself was very nice... the Pinot Noir Rosé, on the other hand, was the worst I've ever had.
Flight 6 - Breggo Cellars (1 Note)
Based upon what I read online, and here on cellartracker, I was perhaps most excited about this spot. However, after a full day of tasting, I just wasn't feeling for taking notes anymore. Also, the guy behind the bar was very sarcastic and not very friendly. While this was his shtick, and he was just trying to be funny, it wasn't very inviting. He completely distracted us from even being able to enjoy the wines, sometimes not even telling us what we were drinking. Not sure how this is suppose to sell wine. 
Ken showing Beans his new ring in the parking lot of Breggo Cellars
Closing
After we got back to where Ken and Erica were staying, we immediately hopped in the hot tub for an hour or so, while drinking some good stuff (2004 Bussola Amarone). We stayed there long enough to walk out to the cliff's edge and watch a nice sunset. Afterwards we headed down to the Albion River Inn Restaurant for an amazing meal of bacon wrapped quail, accompanied by a nice 1999 Crozes-Hermitage. Towards the end of the meal the restaurant owner came over when he heard Ken and Erica were married there the day before, and bought us all desert and desert wines (a mead). A beautiful day overall. 
2007 Handley Sauvignon Blanc Ferrington Vineyard 84 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
Light nose of minerals and white flowers. Light melons and some eggshell on the palate and finish.
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2006 Handley Chardonnay Anderson Valley 87 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
Light apples on the nose. Shows melons and a bit of fruity soap on the mid-palate, but not in a bad way. It's actually quite tasty. The finish is a little creamy with some light spice. Tasty wine.
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2006 Handley Chardonnay Dry Creek Valley 86 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
Light nose... smells cold (and the wine was served that way). Like the Anderson Valley, tasty, a bit of butteriness with honeydew melon on the palate. Short, spicy finish.
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2006 Handley Gewürztraminer Anderson Valley 85 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
Nice sweetness of melon and tons of apricot on the nose. Some squash and cantelope rind on the mid-palate, finishing with under ripe melon.
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2007 Handley Gewürztraminer Anderson Valley 86 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
More enjoyable than the 2006, and this one is totally different, with a light, piney nose. Not bold at all. Creamy, showing honeydew melon on the palate. Finish is fresher, showing melon.
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2007 Handley Pinot Gris 88 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
The best white here, but still not as good as the 2006. The 2006 had an awesome, expressive nose, and this isn't showing much at all; very light. Nice body though, with good mild fruitiness, and quite pretty on the palate. Finish shows some bitterness and nice fruit. Not nearly as expressive as the previous vintage.
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2006 Handley Riesling Mendocino County 85 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County
Very pretty nose of spice and melon. Nice on the palate showing spice and rich fruit. Unfortunately the finish doesn't follow through with what's offered initially, and is simply boring. Too bad.
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2007 Handley Viognier Dry Creek Valley 83 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
Rich, sweet nose. Smells like white gummy bears and I love it. Light, and not showing any of the sweetness that the nose suggests (though this is only .08g/l RS). Bummer, the finish just tastes like a bad squash... so much promise on the nose, but nothing else was together.
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2007 Handley Water Tower White 81 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County
Fruity, candy nose. Much sweeter than the other whites, and boring. This is "tasty" and would be something to crack for non-serious wine drinkers... just doesn't show much interest as an exploration.
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2006 Handley Pinot Noir Mendocino County 82 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County
Shows spicy fruits and crushed berry on the brooding nose. The mid-palate, however, is quite mellow, though coats the mouth, and really only showing some red berry skins. Hot, hot, and berry compote on the finish. The 14% alcohol is felt way too much here.
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2006 Handley Pinot Noir Anderson Valley 77 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
A little mediciney on the nose, with light hints of berry. Stewed fruits on the mid-palate, showing bitter skins and mouth puckering tannins. 14.5% alcohol here as well, which comes through as a very hot wine on the finish and totally blows away what little fruit is there. Not as hot as the Mendocino County, but that wine had more fruit.
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2004 Handley Pinot Noir Estate Reserve 82 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
Really smokey nose. Smells like the distillation of wood lab in my Introductory Physical Science class in 9th grade. Smells like a liqueur. Is this really Pinot Noir? Dark color, too. Light feeling in the mouth, but creamy, showing red and black fruits. More of the same on the finish. Really shows hardly any typicity, and again, the 14.5% alcohol shines through heavily.
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2005 Handley Pinot Noir RSM Vineyard 84 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
Rich and spicy noses, also showing stewed fruits, and again a little medicine. Drying on the palate, a bit hollow, showing only light fruit. Some spiciness and some bitterness on the finish. Not too interesting, though the best Pinot Noir of the bunch.
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2005 Handley Syrah Dry Creek Valley 72 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
Alcoholic nose, showing stewed fruits with vodka added. Very hot on the palate. This somehow numbs the back of my throat, but not in an alcohol kind of numb... more like the way a cough drop numbs your throat. It's totally bizarre, and not exactly what I seek with my wine drinking experience. There's some light fruit present as well, but not very interesting. Hot and alcoholic finish. People can drink this stuff?? blah...
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2006 Handley Syrah Kazmet Vineyard 81 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Redwood Valley
Much better than the Dry Creek Valley Syrah, but still not to my liking. Smokey red fruits are present on the nose. Softer on the palate, but still showing the extracted fruit that just isn't my style.
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2007 Handley Late Harvest Riesling 78 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
24% residual sugar!!! Nose smells like pine. Interesting. Syrupy on the palate, and certainly sweet, but not too bad. However, the finish is just sugar... sugar for days, as if you saturated a solution of water with some booze with sugar. Not interesting at all.
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